Jaap Spier will be interviewed in Spui25 (in Dutch) on his work in legal climate activism. Spier is one of the authors of the Oslo Principles, a set of Principles that comprise the essential obligations States and enterprises have to avert the critical level of global warming. Jaap Thielbeeke interviews him about global problems, the... Continue Reading →
The latest addition to the Dutch book series "Elementaire deeltjes" is a book on animal rights, Dierenrechten. Historian Dirk-Jan Verdonk explores past, present and future of the moral position ascribed to animals in theology, philosophy, science, law, and policy. Which responsibility do people have for animal welfare? Dirk-Jan Verdonk is also the author of Het... Continue Reading →
Lecture by Christopher Preston at the University of Amsterdam In 2016 the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy officially found that Earth has entered the Anthropocene. The purpose of this talk is to raise some questions surrounding the naming of this new epoch and to challenge some of the assumptions that have... Continue Reading →
Libby Robin's inspiring keynote at the launch of the Environmental Humanities Center on 4 November is now available online on our YouTube Channel. Libby Robin is Professor in the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, and affiliated professor at Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, in the KTH Environmental Humanities Lab and... Continue Reading →
This is the week of ‘Our Water’ (Ons Water). The water lobby in the Netherlands has designated this week to organize activities to increase our awareness of water as an important theme in our society, as a threat (sea level rise, cluster showers), but also as an essential resource (drinking water). On Saturday evening a... Continue Reading →
Exhibition by Isaac Monté, in collaboration with Toby Kiers Mediamatic, Amsterdam, 04-10-’16 / 14-02-‘17 Exhibition review by: Tim Renders This exhibition discusses the human urge for perfection by displaying transformed pigs hearts that resemble the urge for inner beauty. Belgian design activist Isaac Monté cooperated for this project with evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers, who is... Continue Reading →
Environmental Humanities and New Materialisms The Ethics of Decolonizing Nature and Culture 8th Annual Conference on the New Materialisms 7-9 June 2017, Paris Environmental Humanities and New Materialisms share an ethic of decolonizing nature and culture, as they depart from anthropocentric and constructivist positions. Our call is to consider ourselves as permeable, part of the... Continue Reading →
Biophilia Lecture by Erik de Jong, Artis Professor (in Dutch) Friday 18 November, 15-17hrs at VU University Amsterdam, Main Building, room 1A-33 With a response by Tirza Brüggemann Erik de Jong holds the Artis Chair for Culture, Landscape and Nature at the University of Amsterdam. In his lecture he wonders whether we could use ‘biophilia’,... Continue Reading →
Techno-Scientific Innovation and Waste Opportunities and Consequences Van Eyck Institute, Maastricht 9th December 2016, 9.30-5pm The theme of the Maastricht workshop is Techno-Scientific Innovation and Waste; Opportunities and Consequences. This theme has developed “organically” from two main sources: The local context of Maastricht, particularly in relation to the post-industrial status of Maastricht and the legacy... Continue Reading →
The question how people relate to the natural and built environment is central to landscape studies as well as the environmental humanities. On 2 December, three speakers address questions such as: Can landscape offer democratic answers to the problems that face the world’s environment? How does the preservation of built heritage relate to landscape conservation?... Continue Reading →
This weekend, an article on our Center appeared on a two-page spread in Elsevier. Science journalist Theo Toebosch interviewed Sjoerd Kluiving and Kristine Steenbergh about the center and its aims. We're pleasantly surprised with our first appearance in the national press, since we hope to make connections with as many communities as possible. Read the... Continue Reading →
On Friday 4 November, the Environmental Humanities Center was officially launched at a festive opening event. Gert-Jan Burgers, director of the interdisciplinary research institute CLUE+, opened the Center by tying a ceremonious knot. The act of tying together rather than cutting through a ribbon symbolizes the Environmental Humanities Centers' commitment to connecting various disciplines and... Continue Reading →
The doctoral program “Environment and Society” in Münich invites applications from graduates in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences who wish to research the complex relationships between environment and society in an interdisciplinary setting. Applications for summer semester 2017 must be submitted by 15 November 2016 via the online application portal. To learn more... Continue Reading →
Now that humanity’s industrial emissions have pushed the global atmosphere into states it has not experienced for more than 3 million years, should we call upon our scientists and engineers to try to push it back? This is the question raised by the dramatic prospect of climate engineering (or geoengineering). Visiting Distinguished Fellow in the... Continue Reading →
Environmental Humanities Center Amsterdam 